Keep Your Enemies Close
by NatalinaFanForever
Summary: Nat Wolff and Rosalina Tai are enemies. Plain and simple. But after one mixed up night, their feelings for each other start to change. As they become closer, they discover things about themselves and each other that neither of them would've expected. Rated T for slightly mature terms.
1. Mixed Up Night

**A/N-I DO NOT OWN THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND!**

**Hey guys!**

**Well, most of you wanted "Keep Your Enemies Close" so here it is! **

**Don't worry though, for those of you who wanted my other story "Just A Face In The Hall" to be posted it will be posted soon! **

**This story will switch off between Nat and Rosalina's POV but this first chapter isn't in anybody's POV. **

**I hope you all like this story! (: **

**Enjoy!**

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"You're such a jerk, Wolff!"

"It takes one to know one!"

"Oh don't talk about your best friends that way! I bet David, Thomas and Qaasim are much nicer than you!"

This was how their usual conversations went. Everyone knew it. Nat Wolff and Rosalina Tai _hated _each other. Nat Wolff was the jerk of the school, and despite his age, ruled it. And even if he was a jerk, everyone liked him. Everyone knew that you were either Nat's friend, or you were on his hit list. (Most people chose the first option.) His down side was that he always "got with" every girl in the school, and then dumped them maybe a week later for someone else. He'd break their heart, and…you don't want to know what else. He'd been with almost every girl in school because, what girl didn't want to date the most popular boy? Even older girls wanted to date Nat. But there was one girl who didn't fall for his undeniably amazing smile or his smooth sweet talk. That girl was the only one who hated him, the only one who didn't put up with his jerk-ish ways, the only one who didn't care if he hated her back. That girl was Rosalina Tai.

Because she hated him, and was perfectly content with showing it, not a day went by at Amigos High School without Rosalina and Nat having a yelling match in the hallway. And even though they yelled and screamed at each other, neither would lay a hand on the other. No one knew why it never escalated physically, but no one really wanted to see what would happen if it ever did either.

"Hate to break it to you, but I was talking about you!"

She rolled her eyes. "And I hate to break it to you but your girlfriend probably only likes you because she likes to sleep with every guy in the school!"

He glared at her. "Whatever." He pushed past her and continued down the hall.

She glared over her shoulder at him and continued walking in the opposite direction. God, she hated it when he decided to pick a fight. She hated having to even look at him, let alone fight with him. She would never understand why anyone would want to date _that._

…

That night, she was at her friend's party. Almost the entire school was there, and already half the kids were out of it, passed out, or almost there. She was standing off to the side, watching a group of kids dance when someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind. She was shocked to see Nat Wolff standing behind her. "What do you want?" She asked, glaring at him and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I need a favor. A _huge, _huge favor."

"Why would I do _you _a favor?"

"I know, and I wouldn't ask if I wasn't desperate. The last thing I want is to be mistaken for a friend of yours."

"You're just giving me more of a reason to turn you down so…"

"Wait. Look, this girl is following me and she has_ got to go_. She's been clingy and it's way too much for me."

"How would I help you get rid of her?"

"Pretend to be my girlfriend."

"Oh God no," She said, turning to walk away.

"Rosalina, wait, please," Nat said, grabbing her wrist.

"Why would I help you with your problems? What have you ever done for me? And besides that, you don't deserve it. And I'm definitely not going to help you crush some girl's heart!" She wrenched her wrist away from him and walked away.

Much to her dismay, he followed. "Rosalina, c'mon. I'll do whatever you want. I just really need this favor. You'd want to get rid of her too if you knew her."

She sighed, and looked down. Should she really do it? Maybe the "whatever you want" could be to leave her alone for the rest of her high school life. She looked up at him.

He was staring at her hopefully.

"What do I have to do?"

He gave her the undeniably amazing smile. "Half these idiots are already drunk," He said.

"What else is new?" She asked, glancing at the people surrounding them.

"So lucky for you, they probably won't remember half of this anyway."

"Remember wha–,"

She was cut off as he leaned in and kissed her. And it wasn't any ordinary kiss, he was basically making out with her. He gently pushed her up against the wall, and put a hand on her shoulder. As the minutes ticked by, she found herself slowly beginning to actually like it. _Might as well make this look believable. _She ran her fingers through his hair.

He pulled back after a few more minutes. He smiled at her again. "Wow, you seemed like you were actually into it."

"Yeah…well…"

"I'm going to get a drink. I'll be right back."

She watched him walk away, in a slight daze. What just happened? How did she get roped into making out with Nat Wolff? And more importantly, why did she like it?

"Hey Rosalina," Caleb, a boy who was on the football team, said, coming up to her. She could tell he was slightly drunk too, but didn't say anything about it.

"Hi Caleb."

"I saw you making out with Wolff," He said. His breath wreaked of alcohol.

"So what?"

"Maybe you and I could have some fun too…" He said, stepping closer to her.

"Um, I don't think so."

"C'mon…" He roughly pushed her against the wall and began kissing her neck.

"Caleb, stop it." She tried pushing him off.

He didn't budge.

"Caleb, cut it out! Get off me!" Rosalina yelled. She didn't like Caleb's kissing at all. He was rough and forceful, unlike Nat who was gentle and…wait. Was she actually thinking this?

Out of nowhere Nat appeared. "Hey, she said get off her!" He yelled, shoving Caleb aside.

Caleb stumbled, but didn't fall. "Maybe she likes it," He said.

"Yeah, right," Nat said.

"Maybe she wants to come back to my place so we can get to know each other better…" Caleb stroked Rosalina's cheek, causing her to flinch away.

"She said cut it out," Nat said angrily, as he punched Caleb in the nose.

This time Caleb fell to the floor, clutching his face and groaning in pain.

Nat grabbed Rosalina's hand. "C'mon, let's get out of here." He pulled her through the crowd of kids that had gathered around to see what happened. He led her out of the house and down the block. Once they were far enough away, he stopped. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine…a little freaked out but I'm fine." She noticed his hand was bloody. "Your hand…"

Nat looked down, and hid his hand behind his back. "It's fine. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Drop it," He told her firmly. "Did you drive here?"

"Uh…I…uh, yeah, I drove. My car is around the corner."

He shook his head and reached into his pocket. "You're not driving, I'll call my friend."

"What do you mean? I can drive. It's not like I've had anything to drink."

"You're not driving, you're too shaken up. You can get your car tomorrow."

"Says you!" She shot back. "You can't even drive yet!"

"Which is exactly why I'm calling my friend, now calm down."

Rosalina rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her hair as Nat dialed a number on his phone. How did this happen? How did she get wrapped up in this?

"Okay, thank Jess." Nat hung up his phone. "Okay, a ride's coming."

"Whoopee," She said unenthusiastically, sitting on the curb.

"Look, I'm sorry that happened," He said, sitting next to her.

"It's not your fault."

"It kind of is. If I didn't force you to help me, Caleb would've never gotten any ideas."

Rosalina shrugged. "Thanks…for defending me back there."

"It's nothing. Don't mention it…seriously."

She laughed without humor. "Oh trust me, I wouldn't dream of it."

"Maybe you're not so bad after all, Tai," Nat said, looking at her.

"Don't go all soft on me," She said. "Wouldn't it risk your reputation?" She stood up from the curb and walked down the block further.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, getting up to follow her.

"I don't know if you're aware, but you're known as the school jerk."

"I'm aware. What about it?"

"Doesn't that bother you?"

Nat shrugged, glancing at his feet. "It's just a label. I know who I really am."

"And who is that, Nat?" She asked, looking at him intently.

He shook his head. "You wouldn't understand."

"Oh really? Try me."

A car pulled up to the curb and Nat looked at her. "C'mon. Let's get you home."

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**A/N- So maybe I'm not getting better at endings...? But that's the first chapter! **

**I hope you guys enjoyed and reviews are always appreciated (: **

**Please and thank you! **

**~NatalinaFanForever~**


	2. Seeing The Real Nat

**A/N-I DO NOT OWN THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND!**

**Hey guys!**

**Wow, so I guess everyone really likes this story. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! It means so much to me that everyone reviews and tells me their opinions. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Rosalina's POV

We were sitting in the back of the car, and a young woman was driving. She had long, light brown hair, and seemed to know Nat extremely well.

"So Rosalina, where am I taking you?" The girl asked, glancing over her shoulder.

I was surprised that she knew my name. "Uh…" I sighed. "I can't go home," I said quietly, looking at Nat. "My dad will kill me if I come home this late."

"Just take us back to the apartment," Nat spoke up for me.

"Sure thing, Nat."

I gave him a curious glance, but didn't say anything. The girl dropped us off in front of an apartment building and as we were getting out Nat said, "Thanks Jesse."

"Anytime. I'll see you tomorrow."

Nat slammed the door shut and Jesse drove off into the late night traffic.

"Who is that?" I asked.

"Jesse. She's a family friend," Nat said. "Now follow me." He led the way into the building and to the elevator.

"You live here?" I asked again.

"You ask a lot of questions," He said, pressing a button.

I blushed, slightly embarrassed and stayed quiet for the rest of the ride up. When we got out of the elevator, Nat led the way down the way down the hallway and to an apartment door. "Stay quiet, okay? I don't want to wake my brother." He quietly opened the door and walked into the dark apartment. He reached behind him and gently took my hand, leading the way through the darkness.

I walked blindly through the apartment until I heard Nat open a door and flip a light on. The sudden light blinded me for a moment, but as soon as I adjusted, I noticed we were in a bathroom. I noticed his hand again, which was still bleeding freely. "Where do you keep a first aid kit?" I asked.

"I'm fine, I just–,"

I cut him off by grabbing his hand suddenly.

He winced in pain without thinking.

"Exactly; so where do you keep a first aid kit?"

Nat sighed in defeat. "In the cabinet over there," He said, gesturing over his shoulder.

I walked over and pulled the kit out of the cabinet. "Sit," I told him, as I opened it.

He obeyed and sat on the bathroom counter.

"This might sting a little bit," I warned, pulling out a disinfectant.

"Yeah right, I think I can handle–ow!"

"Yeah you can totally handle it," I said sarcastically, smiling at him.

"If you mention this to anyone, I may just have to ruin your reputation for the rest of your senior year."

"Don't worry I won't mention your wimpy moment to anyone."

"Watch it, Tai," He said, giving her a look.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I said, wrapping his hand in a bandage.

"Thanks," He muttered, getting down from the counter.

"You're welcome," I said, visibly enjoying his embarrassment.

He walked into an adjoining bedroom. "You can have the bed," He said. "I'll take the couch."

I was hesitant. Sleep in Nat Wolff's bed? A guy I was supposed to hate? It was bad enough I was here. "Uh…"

"Don't worry. Luckily for you I just changed the sheets this morning. And plus, I don't have any diseases."

"I wouldn't be too sure, but good to know." I cautiously got into the bed and lay down.

"I'll see you tomorrow," He said, walking towards the door.

"Wait," I said, almost surprising myself. "Could you…stay here for a few minutes?"

Nat walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked quietly, looking down and playing with the hem of the blanket. "I thought you hated me."

"I guess I didn't get to know you well enough."

I looked up at him.

"It turns out you're not so bad." He gave me his signature smile once again.

I grinned. "You're not so bad yourself."

Nat shook his head, his smile fading. "You don't know me. You don't _want_ to know me."

"So what if I do?"

He got up from the bed, and walked over to the door. "Trust me, for your own safety don't try to get to know me. It's better that we hate each other."

I sat up and leaned on my elbow. "But why?"

"Just trust me. It's better the way things are."

I watched him open the door.

"Good night Rosalina." With that, he turned off the light, left the room, and shut the door behind him.

**~NBB~**

I woke up to the sound of the TV coming through the walls. I got up and cautiously walked into the hallway. The apartment was still dark, but there was a light coming from the end of the hallway. I slowly walked towards it and when I reached the end, I saw the TV in the living room was on and Nat was sitting up on the couch. I walked over to the end of the couch. "Aren't you tired?"

Nat turned his head to look at me. "What are you doing up?"

"I asked you first."

"Can't sleep," He answered simply. "What's your excuse?"

I shrugged. "I just woke up and heard the TV."

"Sorry."

I sat at the end of the couch. "It's fine." We sat in silence for a few minutes until I decided to speak up again. "Hey Nat, you know what you said earlier?"

"About us hating each other? Yeah, I remember. Why?"

"Why is it better? What's the big deal? You've been with a bunch of other girls before me. You're friends with a bunch of other girls. What's the difference if we're friends?"

"They don't know as much as you do, Rosalina."

"What are you talking about? I barely know anything about you."

"We're talking aren't we? Most girls are only with me to make out. Even though we did that, it was for a different reason and we hold an actual conversation instead of just kissing all the time."

"Oh don't tell me you don't actually talk to any of those girls you were with?" I said sarcastically.

Nat shrugged, not looking at me.

"Do you even know any of their names?"

"Of course I do. But that's about it."

I shook my head. "That's just sad."

"I told you."

I didn't respond.

"I'm telling you Rosalina, you know more than they do. I don't want it to back fire on you."

"Why would it backfire?"

"You don't want to know," He said. "All you need to know is that on Monday, none of this ever happened.

"So what, we go back to hating each other?" I asked, staring at him.

Nat nodded.

"You're being ridiculous."

Instead of answering, he stood up from the couch and walked over to me. "C'mon, it's late."

"Avoiding this isn't going to help anyone," I said, crossing my arms over my chest and looking up at him.

"C'mon Rosalina."

I stood up and led the way back to his bedroom as he followed closely behind. I got into the bed and looked up at him, only able to see his silhouette from the light in the hallway. "I still think you're ridiculous."

"I told you Rosalina. It's for your own safety."

"But why is it such a big deal?"

"It is to me. Now go to bed." He walked towards the door.

"Wait," I said, causing him to stop. "One more thing."

Nat turned around to face me again. "What?"

I finally had the courage to say what I'd realized earlier that night. "I don't hate you. You were right. I didn't get to know you very well. I'm sorry."

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**A/N-Hmm... what do you guys think will happen?**

**Leave a review!**

**~NatalinaFanForever~**


	3. Very Confused, Not Amused

**A/N-I DO NOT OWN THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND!**

**Hey guys!**

**Sorry this chapter took so long! I was kind of on writer's block for a little bit but then I figured it out and well... here it is! **

**Hope you guys like it! (: **

* * *

Nat's POV

The next morning, Rosalina walked out of my room and looked almost surprised to see Alex sitting at the kitchen counter. "Morning," I said from the living room.

She didn't respond.

"Sleep well?" I asked, walking up to her.

She shrugged.

"What? Did you give up talking to me already?"

Rosalina sighed and rolled her eyes as she walked towards the door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second," I said, running after her. I stepped in front of her and stood in front of the door.

"Move," She commanded, not meeting my eye.

"No." I leaned back against the door. "Not until you tell me what I did wrong. I let you sleep in my bed didn't I?"

"You did so thanks." She gave me an annoyed smile. "Now move." Her smile faded as she reached for the doorknob but I stepped in her way again.

"No. What did I do? You're not leaving until you tell me."

"You said you wanted us to keep hating each other, so that's what I'm doing!"

I stood up off the wall and stepped towards her. "Rosalina, c'mon, you and I both know that our reputations would be screwed if anyone found out we were talking to each other."

"So what happened to 'it's just a label' and 'I know who I really am'? Or was that all just an act so you could get me to like you or trust you or something? Huh?"

"Rosalina–"

"No, just stop. Let's just stick to the plan. We'll go back to hating each other like we used to. You'll go back to school on Monday, and sleep with another girl, and I _promise_ none of this ever happened." She moved around me and opened the apartment door. "Goodbye Nat. Thanks for everything." With that, she walked out and slammed the door behind her.

I sighed and leaned against the wall. I slid down to the floor and put my head in my hands. How could I have let this happen? This was what I was trying to avoid! I was trying to distance myself from her so that I wouldn't get attached…but it was too late. The damage was done. I was only thinking about her when I said what I did. I meant what I said; it was almost dangerous if we were friends especially anything more. I could never let anything happen to her. I groaned loudly with frustration.

"Nat?" came a voice from the kitchen. My little brother's head peeked out around the corner. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Alex," I reassured him.

"Are you sure?" He asked, walking over to me. "You don't look fine."

"No," I said, leaning back so his head rested on the wall.

Alex sat next to me. "What's wrong?"

"I really screwed up my relationship with this girl."

"You were dating that girl? I thought you were dating another girl."

"No, I wasn't dating either of them. But I…" I trailed off and sighed. "Never mind, but I still screwed it up. I screwed it up big time and I did what I did because that's what I was trying to avoid."

"Then why don't you just tell her that? Girls like hearing the truth."

"How do you know that?"

"Juanita is usually less mad at me if I tell her the truth," Alex said, referring to his best friend. "And even if I try to lie, she always finds out."

I laughed at my little brother. "Good to know Alex. Thanks for the advice."

**~NBB~**

Rosalina's POV

The whole weekend I practically locked myself in my room. I was trying to make sense of Nat's reasoning. I was also trying to keep my sanity. Why, all of a sudden, did I care about Nat Wolff? Since when did what he said or did matter to me? I was supposed to hate him. I was supposed to be fine with us going back to hating each other. But how could I hate him? He was so nice to me. Especially at the party how he practically beat up Caleb just to protect me. Why did he do that anyway? Why was he so nice to me in the first place? Why did I enjoy it when we made out? What was going on? So why did Nat want to go back to us hating each other? Why did it matter so much to him? Why was it such a big deal? I spent the whole weekend trying to come up with answers for these questions but couldn't come up with any.

By Monday, I decided just to go on hating Nat. He didn't have a problem with hating me after everything, so why should I? I was walking to my locker and noticed Nat walking to his with his friends in the opposite direction. He must've noticed me too, because he deliberately bumped into me. "Watch where you're going, Tai," He said, glaring at me.

"Nat, dude, what happened to your hand?" The boy I knew as Thomas asked.

"Uh…" I could hear Nat hesitate behind me. "I got into a fight with some guy. He was drunk, and I showed him what happens when he messes with Nat Wolff."

Thomas and the rest of his friends cheered, and patted him on the back, seemingly satisfied with his answer.

I glared at him over my shoulder, but only half-heartedly. I knew what he said, and what I said I would do. But I didn't want to hate him. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to become a closer friend of his.

That day at lunch, I noticed that he was unusually sitting by himself in the cafeteria. I took my lunch and walked over to his empty table and sat down.

He looked surprised. "What are you doing here?" He asked, glaring at me again.

"Cut the act, no one's around," I said harshly.

"What do you want?" He said, softening his expression.

"I think we need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about. We hate each other, remember?"

"Yeah, but what if I don't want us to hate each other?"

Nat sat silently, staring at me.

"Why can't we just…be friends?"

"I told you why not," He said, turning away from me.

"Nat, please," I begged. "I'll be honest with you. I don't know what it is, but I want to be your friend."

"Gee, thanks," He joked, a small grin showing on his face.

I grinned too. "You know what I mean," I said, scooting closer to him. "I spent the whole weekend trying to figure out why all of a sudden I want to be your friend when, for most of my life, I've wanted anything but that. I'm sorry I was rude to you the other day."

"No," Nat said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. But Rosalina, you've got to believe me. I have my reasons as to why we shouldn't be friends. I'm telling you, it's for the better."

"So what are your reasons?" I begged. "Tell me."

"It doesn't matter what my reasons are. I have them, and they're valid. End of story."

"Nat, c'mon. Just give me one good reason why we can't be friends."

"I told you," He said, looking right at me. "You know too much about me."

"So what is someone going to come after me?"

"Rosalina, stop it," He said. "I'm saying this because it's for your own good. Stay away from me." He got up from the table and stormed away, leaving me in confusion.

…

"Rosalina!"

I groaned at the high pitched voice calling my name. I knew who it was. "What do you want Patrice?"

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting stuff out of my locker…?"

"No! I mean talking to Nat! He's mine!"

"Says who?" I asked.

"Um…hello, the most popular girl in the senior class, that's who!"

"Whatever," I said, slamming my locker shut and walking away.

"Mark my words Rosalina! If I ever see you near Nat Wolff again, your reputation will be ruined!"

I just shook my head as I walked out of the school. I walked over to the sidewalk and noticed a familiar figure walking away from the school. I jogged to catch up with him. "Hey."

He didn't look at me. "What did I tell you?"

"Did I ever say I was going to listen?"

"Rosalina, I'm telling you. All you're doing is setting yourself up for trouble. I don't want that for you. Stay. Away. From. Me."

"Why does it matter?"

"Just trust me," He snapped, giving me a look.

We continued walking in silence until Nat looked down at the ground. "Rosalina, maybe you should just go home."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean this part of New York isn't safe and I don't want to be responsible for you if you get hurt."

"You're ridiculous."

"I'm not," He said. "But be careful the sidewalk isn't–"

I wasn't looking where I was doing and tripped on the sidewalk.

Nat looked down at me. "I told you be careful."

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**A/N-I'm sorry, I'm still working on my endings. **

**Review please? (: **

**~NatalinaFanForever~**


	4. To Keep Her Safe

**A/N-I DO NOT OWN THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND!**

**Hey guys!**

**Hope you all had a good holiday! (: I know I did! Sorry for not posting in a while, but here's the new chapter: **

* * *

Nat's POV

"Very funny," She said, looking up at me. She went to stand up but winced. "Ooh, standing up is not an option right now."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about my ankle," She snapped. "I think I sprained it."

I groaned. "I told you!"

"You didn't say watch the sidewalks!"

"Can you walk?"

"I can barely stand."

"Alright, c'mon," I said, crouching down. "Get on my back."

"You mean like a piggy back ride?"

"Yes, but let's just get one thing straight. I am not a pig."

She cautiously jumped onto my back. "Yeah, I'll be the judge of that."

I moved my hands so they supported her legs as she wrapped her arms around my neck. My back hurt slightly, but I sucked it up and started walking anyway.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"I'm taking you home."

"No!" She protested. "I wouldn't have gotten on if I knew that."

"Exactly why I didn't tell you," I said, continuing down the street. "We have to get you out of here and off your feet."

"I can't believe you…wait, how do you even know where I live?"

"I have my ways."

I walked the rest of the way in silence and when we reached Rosalina's house, I made her give me the key to unlock the door. I carefully kicked the door closed behind us and gently let her sit down on the couch. "Where's your kitchen?"

"I'm not telling you," She said, crossing her arms over on her chest.

I rolled my eyes and walked away from her.

"You're being ridiculous!" She shouted after me.

"Says the girl who won't tell me where her kitchen is!" I called back.

Rosalina sighed as I went into her freezer to get an ice pack.

I walked back in the living room and stood next to the couch. "Lie down."

She stared up at me without saying a word.

"Rosalina."

She obeyed and turned so her foot would be supported on the couch.

I gently put ice on her ankle. "Now stay that way."

"Whatever."

"Does it hurt?" I asked, glancing at her ankle then at her.

Rosalina shrugged.

"I'll be right back." I turned and walked out of the room.

Rosalina's POV

As soon as Nat was gone, I kicked the ice off of my ankle and pulled my ankle towards me. Just that action alone sent a sharp pain up my leg. I covered my mouth to keep from crying out. If Nat heard me, he would just have all the more reasons to say he was right and that I should've left him alone.

"You don't listen to anything I say do you?"

I jumped and looked up at him.

He was standing over the couch, looking down at me.

"I just wanted to see it."

"See what? See it getting swollen? Put the ice pack back on it."

"I don't need it."

"Yes, you do."

"No I don't."

"Okay," He said, taking a large step away from the couch. "Then walk towards me."

"Maybe I don't want to."

"Maybe you don't want to admit your ankle is sprained," He shot back, giving me a smile that was beginning to irritate me.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. I slowly got up from the couch, trying not to wince. I was just about to take my first step when I put pressure on my ankle and another severely sharp pain ran up my leg, causing me to cry out again. I fell back onto the couch. "Fine, you win. Are you happy now?"

"Yes, yes I am." He walked back over to me and kneeled down so he was looking at me face to face. "Are you okay now?"

I shrugged again.

"Rosalina, I'm being serious. I'm not trying to be right or wrong or anything. Are you okay?"

"It really hurts," I admitted, looking at my ankle.

"Then put the ice back on it," He said, doing it for me. "Now stay here." He turned and began walking out of the room, but stopped when he heard me.

"Wait!"

He turned to face me. "Yes?"

"I don't get it."

"What don't you get?"

"One minute you tell me to stay away from you and the next your being nice to me and taking care of my ankle. What's up with you?"

"I told you my reasons."

"Nat, please."

"We can't be friends, Rosalina. Okay? We just can't."

"Can we at least be…acquaintances?" I asked, looking at him.

He gave me a confused look.

"It's not friends, but we don't hate each other."

He rolled his eyes. "Maybe, I'll think about it."

I groaned. "Nat, c'mon please! All I want is for us to be friends!"

Nat stormed over to me, and kneeled down so that we were face to face. "Rosalina. I'm telling you right now. We cannot be friends. I have my reasons. They're good reasons. They're important reasons. So please, just leave me alone. You used to hate me anyway. Just go back to doing that. I don't even care what you do, just leave me alone!" He snapped.

We stood in silence for a few minutes, until I glared at him as I tried to hold back tears. I didn't want him to see how much his words hurt me. I stood up without thinking and bit my lip to try to bear the pain. I moved to walk away, but two things stopped me. One, my ankle would not support even limping right now, and two, Nat grabbing my arm.

"Rosalina stop," He said, holding my arm.

"Let me go," I said, pulling my arm away from him.

"No, you're in pain and you're mad at me. You're staying here."

I refused to even look at him. "I'm trying to leave you alone, Nat. So do me a favor and leave me alone." I took a step away from him, but the pain was too much for me. Tears slipped down my face, despite me trying to hold them back.

"Okay, come here." He bent down and picked me up bridal style, sat on the couch and gently pulled me onto his lap.

Nat's POV

She leaned into my chest and cried.

I felt really bad about everything, but what could I say? "I'm sorry," I whispered, rubbing her back. "I'm so sorry."

"I don't get you, ever."

I grinned slightly. "Good. Keep it that way."

"But I'm serious," She said, sitting up and looking at me. "A few minutes ago, you were yelling at me to stay away from you, and now you're comforting me?"

"Do you want to know why I don't want to be friends with you Rosalina? Do you want to know why I keep trying to distance myself from you?"

"Yes, I really want to know," She said, wiping her tears.

"I like you Rosalina. I really, really like you," I admitted. "Actually, I love you. But I don't want you to get hurt, because I care about you. So I can't be with you."

"You…you like me?"

I nodded.

"Why would I get hurt?"

"A lot of people hate me, Rosalina, which I'm sure you know. If I was to date you, someone would see it as a way to get back at me. I don't want to put you in that position and I don't want you to get hurt. So I tried to distance myself from you so that maybe I would stop…liking you."

"Wait…so you could be with all those other girls, but you can't be with me?"

"I was only with those girls because I wanted to try to stop liking you."

"So you slept with all of those girls so that you'd stop liking me?" She asked in disbelief.

"I didn't sleep with those girls," I assured her. "All of those girls just got mad when I dumped them so quickly that they spread those rumors around."

"Why didn't you try and stop them?"

"I thought it would help keep you away from me."

"You wanted me to hate you?"

"To keep you safe," I told her.

* * *

**A/N-Aw how cute(: **

**Leave a review! **

**~NatalinaFanForever~**


	5. Skeptically Skipping School

**A/N-I DO NOT OWN THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND!**

**Hey guys!**

**Happy New Year! Geeze, I can't believe it's already 2014. That's crazy. Whoa. **

**Hope you guys enjoy the new chapter! **

* * *

Rosalina's POV

"What if I don't care?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't care," I repeated.

"You don't?"

"There was a time that I hated your guts, Nat Wolff. But the day you convinced me to pretend to be your girlfriend, I think I fell for you."

Nat smiled. "Really?"

I nodded, a smile slowly spreading across my face.

"Good, because I don't think I could stand being mad at you anymore."

I leaned into his chest again, still smiling. "So does this mean you'll be friends with me?"

"This means we're boyfriend and girlfriend," He said, rubbing my back again.

"Wait," I said, pulling away from him. "You're not going to just date me to sleep with me, right?"

He leaned in and kissed me. The kiss became more passionate as he reached up and put his hand on my cheek. He gently pushed me down so that I was lying on my back on the couch without breaking the kiss. He moved so that he was kneeling over me, but I pulled back.

"Nat stop."

"What's wrong?"

"If you're only dating me so that you can get in bed with me, I don't think we should–"

"No, no, no, that's not me. I told you."

"Well, good, but I can't just jump into this relationship either. I mean…I barely know you."

"You know me better than anyone else. Well, except my brother."

"I know, and I'm glad that you trust me enough to let me get to know you, but…"

"But what?" Nat asked, looking at me worriedly.

"I'm not ready for this serious of a relationship," I said quietly, shaking my head.

"That's okay." He moved so that he was sitting correctly on the couch and I settled into his lap again, leaning against his chest. "And just remember that if I'm ever doing something you're not comfortable with, you need to tell me. I'll stop right away."

I nodded. "I will."

"Good," He said, as he kissed my head. He smiled. "God, I'm so glad I can finally call you mine."

The rest of the day, we laid on the couch, watching TV and Nat made sure that I took care of my ankle. When it got dark outside, he gave me a piggy-back ride up the stairs to my bedroom. He left when I got changed and when he came back in I was lying in bed already. "Are you sure you have to leave?" I asked, watching as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"It's getting late. Won't your dad be home soon?"

I shrugged. "I never know when he's coming home these days."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure he'll be home soon."

"Only if you're sure," He said, as he kissed my forehead. "So you'll be okay by yourself for a little while?"

I nodded. "Thanks."

"I'll come by tomorrow morning to pick you up for school." I opened my mouth to say something but he spoke up again. "And yes, that means that we don't have to hate each other anymore."

**~NBB~**

The next morning I woke up and looked around the room. I was still in the same position I fell asleep which caused me to feel slightly sore and my ankle to hurt even more. I carefully pulled my ankle out from beneath the blankets and saw that the swelling had gone down. I cautiously stood up and limped around the room to get dressed and then down the stairs to the kitchen. On the counter I found a note:

_Rosalina, _

_Had to leave for work early. Hope you'll understand. _

_I'll be working late again tonight. _

_Dad _

I sighed and threw the note in the trash.

Suddenly someone's hands went over my eyes and someone whispered in my ear, "Kiss me now and no one gets hurt."

I smiled and turned around. I kissed Nat's cheek. "Good morning to you too. How'd you get in here?"

"I told you I have my ways," He said, smiling at me.

I gave him a look.

"I grabbed a key last night on my way out."

"Ready for school?" I asked, limping over to pick up my backpack.

Nat beat me there and picked it up for me. "Here, hop on."

"Nat, I'm fine. My ankle's getting better actually."

"Great, so let's keep it that way. Hop on."

I rolled my eyes and did as he told me.

He carefully walked out of the house, shut the door behind us, and over to the car that was waiting. "You remember Jesse, don't you?" He opened the door and helped me inside.

The ride to school was quiet, and when we got to school I stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Nat asked.

"I'm fine, I just…I'd really like to avoid school today."

"Why?"

I sighed. "Well, Patrice told me–"

"Oh forget her," He said, shaking his head. "If she even thinks about breathing in your direction, she'll be sorry."

"Couldn't we just…skip today?"

"Rosalina Tai, you skip school? Tsk, tsk, I thought you were better than that."

I grinned. "I don't skip school, usually. But I know you do."

"You're supposed to be the one who's good for me," He said, giving me a look.

"One day," I begged. "Please?"

Nat looked skeptical.

"My ankle will heal by tomorrow, hopefully, and then I'll go back no questions asked."

He smiled. "I guess spending a day alone with you wouldn't be so bad. You're lucky I love you."

I smiled. "Thank you."

"But we have to be back in time to pick up my brother."

I nodded. "That's fine."

"Now, c'mon," He said, bending down again.

"I can walk home."

"Yeah, and I can pass my Math class. Now get on."

I rolled my eyes and got onto his back again.

"You know, you really are lucky I love you."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"I wouldn't carry you all the time if I didn't."

I kissed his cheek. "Good."

We walked the rest of the way in silence, and when we reached my house, Nat repeated what he did yesterday and gently wrapped my ankle in ice. "So tell me about this whole thing with Patrice. Why, all of a sudden do you care what she says?"

"I don't know…" I sighed.

"Don't let her get to you. She's just jealous."

"Why would she be jealous of me?"

"Because you're perfect, and she's not."

I smiled. "Well, thank you, but I know that's not true."

"Who cares what anyone else thinks? It's what you think of you that matters, okay?"

"I guess so. Thanks, Nat."

"You're welcome, so smile please. You're that much prettier when you smile."

I shook my head.

"Please, for me?"

I gave him and look.

"Please, please, please!" Nat whined.

I laughed. "Okay, okay. I'm smiling. Are you happy now?"

He smiled back at me. "Yes, very."

* * *

**A/N-I'm still really not that good at endings... **

**But hey I was wondering if there were any stories in particular that you guys wanted to see a sequel to? I was just curious.**

**Leave a review!(:**

**~NatalinaFanForever~**


	6. A Little Suspicious

**A/N-I DO NOT OWN THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND!**

**Hey guys!**

**So sorry for the late update! I've been really busy lately and I didn't even think about the story. Luckily, we have A LOT of snow where I live and basically everything's closed so I get to stay home today and tomorrow.**

**By the way, I just wanted to put something out there: **

**All these chapters that you're reading, I've written a while ago. This chapter right now that you're about to read, I wrote sometime in late November/early December. The chapters will hopefully get better as the story goes on. **

**Hope you enjoy! **

* * *

Nat's POV

Her phone rang, signaling she had a message and she picked up her phone and checked the message. She frowned, sighed, and dropped her phone back into her backpack. "Great…"

"What's wrong?"

"My dad is going to be working overnight."

"Again?" I asked in disbelief. I hated knowing she was here by herself, but I couldn't stay.

She shrugged. "It's okay. I'm used to it."

"I would stay with you, but I have to take care of my little brother."

"So what about you? You know about my dad, so what about yours?"

I shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "Uh…he's a dad. You know." I couldn't tell her. I wouldn't tell her. She might get scared, or freaked out. That was the last thing I wanted for her.

"Yeah, but is he nice? Does he work? Tell me about him."

I shrugged. "He's just a normal dad."

"Okay…" I knew Rosalina could tell I wasn't comfortable talking about my father. "So what about your little brother?"

"He's the best," I smiled. "He's always there for me, and we look out for each other. We're really close too. I wouldn't trade him for the world."

Rosalina smiled. "That's so cute!"

"Yeah…" I nodded. "When my mom died, Alex and I got really close, even when we were so little. I had to take care of him since no one else would…" I mumbled the last part, hoping Rosalina wouldn't hear.

"What do you mean?"

"Um…my dad…worked a lot," I said, trying to rack my brain for an excuse. "Like your dad," I added quickly. "I guess he just took my mom's death pretty hard."

I could tell she still didn't really accept my answer, but she dropped it anyway. We spent the rest of the day just hanging out and talking. When the morning became the afternoon, we decided to go back to school, but this time Rosalina was able to slowly walk there. I was patient, and walked with her the whole time. "I'm sorry," She said for what seemed like the millionth time. "This is really stupid."

"It's okay," I told her. "You're doing fine."

"But I'm so slow and you could've been there right now if it wasn't for my stupid ankle."

"But hey if you never sprained your ankle, we never would've started dating."

Rosalina grinned. "Okay…maybe it isn't so bad."

We made it to school just as the final bell rang and the students of Amigos Middle and High School were released for the day. Alex ran over to us. "Hey Alex," I said, doing our handshake with him.

"Hey Nat."

"Alex, this is my girlfriend Rosalina. Rosalina, this is my little brother Alex."

"So you're the girl my brother really likes," Alex said, looking up at her.

Rosalina laughed as I turned red. "Alex!" I gave him a look.

"What?" He didn't see what was so wrong with it. "It's true! You really like her don't you?"

"Aw, you really like me?" Rosalina asked, smiling at me.

"Of course I do," I said, nervously scratching the back of my neck. "But I didn't need Alex to say it for me."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Alex," She said, smiling at my brother.

"C'mon, let's get to the car. Jesse's waiting," I said, leading the way to the car.

This time, all three of us, even Alex, walked slowly with Rosalina to the car. We got inside and Rosalina told Jesse to take her home. "So you'll be okay tonight?" I asked when Jesse pulled up to Rosalina's house.

"Yeah, I've stayed by myself before."

"Call me before you go to bed, okay?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're overprotective, but it's cute, so I'll let you."

I smiled and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow. Same time."

Rosalina's POV

"Okay, see you. Thanks Jesse!" I slowly walked into the house, ate dinner, and then spent the rest of the evening in my room. I wonder what's going on with Nat's dad. He always seems uncomfortable whenever he comes up. Usually he's so laid back about stuff, but whenever I even mention his dad it starts to get awkward. I mean, I can't really _force _him to tell me anything but I'd wish he tell me if something were bothering him. And what did he mean that he had to take care of Alex since no one else would? Surely their dad would've cared for them wouldn't he?

When I thought it was time for bed and I didn't want to worry about Nat anymore, I dialed his number, which he put into my phone earlier that day. He finally picked up after seven rings. _"Rosie?"_

"Hey Nat."

_"Listen Rosie, now's–,"_ He was cut off by a loud noise in the background. _"Now's not a good time to talk." _

"Oh…I'm sorry. Is everything okay?"

_"Uh yeah–"_ another loud noise _"everything's fine."_

"Are you sure?"

_"Yeah, I'll call you in a little while, okay?" _

"Are you sure? Is everything okay with Alex?"

_"Yes, everything's fine."_

"It doesn't sound fine."

_"It's fine, Rosalina I promise." _ I could tell he was getting irritated, but I could also tell he was trying to hide it._ "There's no reason for you to be worried. I'm fine, and so is Alex." _

"Okay."

_"I promise I'm okay." _

"Okay, I believe you."

_"I'll call you back in a few minutes." _

He hung up without another word and left me a little confused. What was going on? Why did he suddenly not want to talk? He didn't sound like himself either. Usually, he sounded very cool, and calm. But on the phone, he sounded worried and slightly scared. _Maybe I should go over there…_ I glanced at the clock, and then put my phone in my pocket. By now my ankle felt almost completely better. It was still slightly sore, but I would deal with the pain. Just as I was about to walk out the front door, my phone rang. "Hello?"

_"Hi Rosie." _ His voice sounded strained.

"Are you okay?"

_"Yeah…yeah, I'm fine." _

"You don't sound okay."

_"I'm fine, Rosie. Don't worry." _

I wanted to know what was really bothering him but I wasn't going to push it. "Okay."

_"So how are you? Is your ankle better?"_

"Yeah, it's a lot better. I think I'll even be able to walk by myself tomorrow."

_"That's great." _

We were both quiet for a while until I couldn't hold it in any longer. "Nat, I know you're not okay and I want to know what's bothering you."

_"I'm fine, really." _

"No, you're not. I can tell."

_"Rosalina, listen to me. I'm fine. Alex is fine too. We're all fine. I'll see you tomorrow okay?" _

"Okay, but you'd tell me if something was wrong wouldn't you?"

_"I promise. Good night Rosie." _

"Good night," I said quietly as Nat hung up. Although he told me that everything was okay, I had this unsettling feeling that he wasn't telling me something.

**~NBB~**

"Rosalina…"

I groaned and buried my head deeper into the pillow.

"Rosalina c'mon, get up," A voice whispered. The person leaned down and kissed my head. "C'mon, get up."

I rolled onto my back and opened my eyes. "How'd you get in here?"

Nat, who was leaning over me, smiled. "I told you I have my ways."

I pushed him away from me. "You're a creep."

He winced, but brushed it off quickly. "Oh I see how it is," He said, kneeling over me again.

I sat up and looked at him. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine."

"You're lying. What's wrong?"

"I'm fine, Rosie." He smiled at me, but I still didn't believe it.

"Then why are you acting so strange?"

"I'm not."

"Nat, please, just tell me what's bothering you."

"Nothing, I'm just a little sore, that's all. It'll wear off in a few days."

"Well, why are you so sore?"

"That's not important, what matters is that I'm fine and you're fine."

I gave him a look.

"I promise."

"Fine, get out."

He gave me a confused look.

"I can't change with you sitting there watching me!"

"Darn," He joked, giving me a goofy grin.

"That's disgusting!" I shouted, throwing a pillow at him.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding! You know I'm kidding. I would never do that."

"Good," I smiled at him. "So get out."

He quickly kissed me and walked out of the room shutting the door behind him.

**~NBB~**

"Nat…? Is that you?"

"Yes Thomas, it's me," Nat said, as he stopped walking. We were holding hands as we walked to class.

"Wait, I thought you hated her?" He asked, gesturing to me.

"Thomas, quit being rude." Nat glared at his friend. "She's my girlfriend."

"I'm sorry, I just thought–"

"Well you thought wrong!" He snapped.

"Nat," I said, putting a hand on his chest. "Relax, he was just asking."

Nat sighed. "You're lucky there's a girl around, Thomas."

"Yeah, thanks Rosalina," Thomas said, looking at me. "I'll see you guys later."

I shook my head as Thomas hurried away. "Is he always like this?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

* * *

**A/N-Soo I hope you guys liked it! Please review! **

**~NatalinaFanForever~**


	7. No More Lying

**A/N-I DO NOT OWN THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND!**

**Hey guys!**

**I hope everyone's enjoying the story (: **

* * *

Nat's POV

All day we got weird looks from passing students who thought the same thing Thomas did. Neither of us really paid any attention though, that is until Patrice found out.

"Rosalina, what do you think you're doing?!" She screamed as we were walking to lunch.

We stopped and Rosalina groaned. "Oh great."

"Don't worry," I reassured her. "I'll handle this."

We both turned around as Patrice stormed over. "What are you doing with _my _boyfriend?!"

"I'm not your boyfriend, Patrice," I said calmly.

"Not yet, but I will be when _she's _out of the way!"

"Hey don't talk about her that way. I love Rosalina, not you!" I said, stepping in front of Rosalina. "So back off and leave her alone!"

Patrice let out a loud frustrated groan and stormed away.

I faced Rosalina. "See? All taken care of, now let's go." I led the way into the cafeteria and over to a table where my friends were already sitting. "Hey guys, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Rosalina. Rosalina, these are the guys. You already know them."

Rosalina nodded and smiled at the guys. "Hi guys."

"So you finally manned up and asked her out, huh Nat?" Thomas asked.

"I never thought you would," David said.

"Yeah, I thought you guys hated each other," Cooper said.

Thomas got up from his spot, and patted me on the back. "Good job, dude."

I winced. _God that hurt. _I brushed it off again, just like I did this morning. I couldn't let any of them see.

The guys started laughing and talking amongst themselves.

"Hey," Rosalina whispered. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I said quietly, nodding. "I'm fine." I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked a text:

_I'll be home for the evening. You both BETTER behave while I sleep_

I sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"Uh…would it be okay if Alex and I came over after school?"

"Sure," She said nodding. "Yeah, of course. Dad won't be home anyway."

"Cool," I said, putting an arm around her. I kissed her head. "Thank you."

Rosalina's POV

"Anytime," I said, watching as he began talking to Cooper about something. Even though Nat dropped it, I didn't forget so easily. Why was he acting so strange? I decided that I would find out what was going on once and for all. He's been acting strange for a few days now. And I was going to find out why.

**…**

"Bye Nat! Bye Rosalina! See you guys tomorrow!"

"Bye Coop!" Nat called after his friend as we walked towards the middle school.

Alex ran up to meet us. "Hey Nat, hey Rosalina," He said happily.

"Hey bro," Nat greeted.

"Hey Alex," I said.

"Ready to go home?" Nat asked.

Alex's smile faded as he shook his head.

"What if I told you we were going to Rosalina's?"

Alex smiled weakly. "Okay."

We all walked to Jesse's waiting car and got inside. She drove us to my house and I let us all in. "Alex, get started on your homework, okay?" Nat said. "I'll be right back."

Nat walked away as I showed Alex the dining room. He got started on his homework right away, and I leaned against the dining room doorframe, watching. A question was tugging at me, but I didn't know if I should ask. Maybe I should leave Alex out of it… "Hey Alex," I spoke up suddenly, surprising myself.

"Yeah?" He replied, not even looking up.

"You know how a kid is supposed to feel safe at their house?" I asked, sitting across from him at the table.

Alex nodded.

"Do you feel safe at your house?"

He stayed silent for a few minutes, and then said, "Only sometimes because I'm home with Nat."

"What about other times?"

"I don't really like it when my dad is home."

"Why not?"

Alex looked up at me, but didn't respond.

"It's okay, Alex. Thank you for telling me." I stood up from the table and walked over to the bottom of the stairs. Just as I reached it, Nat walked down the stairs.

"Hey is everything okay?" Nat asked.

"No, everything is not okay because you're keeping something from me."

"Rosalina, I'm–"

"I don't think you're fine. Maybe you are, maybe you're not. But seeing as your brother doesn't feel safe at home all the time isn't fine."

"He's lying–,"

"I don't think he's the one lying Nat."

Nat sighed. "Come with me." He took my hand and led me upstairs to the bathroom. He shut the door behind us.

"Nat, what're you–?"

He sighed and stood in front of the mirror, with his back to me. He looked at me in the mirror. "I trust you, okay?"

I nodded slowly.

He lifted up his shirt so that I could see his back. What seemed to be a few days old black and blue bruises completely covered his back, along with fresh and new red marks that were quickly turning into bruises.

_Oh my God. _"Nat…" I was speechless. I couldn't even wrap my head around it. Who would do this? And more importantly, why would anyone do this? Especially to Nat. "How…?"

"My dad," He said, putting his shirt back down. Nat turned to face me. "He drinks a lot…and he gets angry easily. Just like I do."

"No," I shook my head. "No, no, no. Don't tell me he…"

Nat nodded, looking away. "He does."

"Nat," I said quietly, moving to hug him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't," He said, hugging me tightly. "I couldn't put that on you."

"There's nothing you can't tell me."

"I know...I'm sorry."

I pulled back and looked at him. "You'll be okay, I promise."

"It's just hard because I'm worried that I'll turn out just like him."

"That's not true, you're nothing like that."

"Yes I am. I get angry just as easily as he does. What if I become abusive? I could be putting you in danger."

"No you're not. You won't ever become abusive, and do you want to know why?"

He remained silent, waiting for my answer.

"You are sweet, and caring because if you didn't you wouldn't have taken Alex here and you wouldn't have carried me on your back…even though…you had bruises…" I smacked his arm. "Why would you do that to yourself?"

"Hey, ow! I have enough bruises!" He joked, holding his arm.

"Oh right, sorry."

"It's okay, Rosie."

"You will not turn out like that. You're nothing like that." And I was serious. Nat was the opposite of that. I won't deny that he has a short temper, but he at least tries to control it.

"But how do you know–"

"Because even though you get angry easily, you still care, and you can control it. I know that you'd never intentionally hurt me, or Alex."

"But _how _do you know?"

"You pushed Caleb off me that night. You protected me. You brought Alex here, instead of taking him home where he could get hurt. You care, Nat."

Nat smiled weakly at me. "I do."

"But wait…why did you take me to your house after the party if your dad is abusive?"

"You said that you couldn't go home, so I brought you to my house. And I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep, unless I knew you were okay, so I stayed up all night making sure my dad didn't come home. He didn't."

"You just proved my point."

He shook his head, moving to walk out of the bathroom. "Whatever."

"Hey," I said, grabbing his arm. "It'll be okay, right? Is Alex hurt too?"

"No," He said, shaking his head again, not meeting my eye. "God no, I won't let that happen."

"Nat, we have to tell the police," I said quietly.

"No," He said loudly, pulling his arm away from me. "I will _not _put Alex through that. And you can't tell anyone about this Rosalina."

"But Nat it's for your–"

"I know Rosalina. Trust me, I've considered it. But I'm used to it by now. I can handle it. As long as he doesn't touch Alex, everything will be fine."

"That's why we need to do something before he does–"

"I can protect Alex by myself. But you have to promise me that you will not tell anyone, especially not the police."

* * *

**A/N-What do you guys think Rosalina will do? Will she tell someone? Or will she keep Nat's secret? **

**Leave a review! **

**~NatalinaFanForever~**


	8. You Implied It

**A/N-I DO NOT OWN THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND!**

**Hey guys! **

**I'm so sorry for the late update. I've just gotten really caught up with some other stuff lately and haven't had time to write. That, and the fact that I've sort of been on writer's block for a while so...yeah. **

**But I'm back! and I'm going to try my hardest to keep writing for you guys, because you're all that amazing(: **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Nat's POV

She shook her head with tears in her eyes. "No, no, I can't," She said. "I can't just sit by and watch while you get hurt."

"Rosalina," I said, grabbing her arms, causing her to whimper. I hated doing this but she was stubborn, and this was the only way she'd listen. "You have to promise me that you will _not _tell anyone. If you do, I'll never forgive you."

"But Nat..."

"Promise me, Rosalina."

"I promise," She whimpered.

I could see in her eyes she was afraid of me. I relaxed my grip on her arms. "I'm sorry Rosie, but I can't risk getting us in trouble."

"But it'd be protecting you and Alex," She said quietly.

"Can you imagine that? Me and Alex having to leave our apartment, and live with our relatives in God knows where? I'd be away from you, and from New York and the guys. I can't do that to myself or Alex."

"I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I'm sorry for scaring you."

She didn't say anything, only stared at me with a terrified look in her eyes.

"Rosie, I'm sorry," I sighed, letting her go and walking over to the mirror. "God, I just get angry so easily."

"No, no, it's okay, I-I'm fine."

"I scared you, there's no getting around it. God, I'm sorry."

"Nat, I'm okay." She walked up behind me and we looked at each other in the mirror. "I admit it, you did scare me a little bit, but I understand."

"I'm just like him, Rosie!" I leaned on the sink, staring at the faucet. "I'm just like him…" I whispered.

"No you're not. You're caring and you're sweet. Yeah, you do have a short temper. But we can work on that, okay?"

I didn't move.

"Nat, look at me."

I slowly looked up at her in the mirror.

"It's going to be okay," She told me.

I turned around to face her.

She took one step and hugged me tightly, burying her face into my chest.

I stroked her hair. "Thank you, Rosie."

"You want to know something?" She asked suddenly, pulling back. "My dad's never home. I'm lucky if I see him once a week, maybe."

"That's terrible," I mumbled.

She shrugged. "I'm used to it. After my mom died, my dad threw himself into his work and…just never seemed to pull himself back out."

"How did your mom die?" I asked, looking at her.

She glanced at the wall, and then at the floor. "I'd rather not discuss my mother's death in the bathroom." She looked up at me. "I'd rather not discuss it at all."

"Sorry."

"It's fine," Rosalina said. "So see? We all have our flaws. We all have something to handle. And this is yours and I have mine."

"I know."

"Let's go. Alex is probably wondering where we are." She turned to leave but I grabbed her wrist.

"Wait, so what happens now?"

"We get through this together; you, me and Alex."

I shook my head. "No, our relationship is not about to be all about me and my problems."

"It won't be. It'll be us getting through everything."

"You're so cheesy," I said, taking her hand.

She smiled. "Yeah, but you love me."

**~NBB~**

Rosalina's POV

Later that night, Nat and Alex had to go home, and to be honest it made me a little nervous. After everything Nat had told me today, I hated to see them leave. And as much as I wished they could stay here, I knew that would only cause more problems. (It's a long story) "You'll be okay, right?" I asked.

"Of course I will. And you'll be okay here alone, right?" Nat asked.

"Thanks for reminding me, but yeah I'll be fine. You better call me when you get home."

"Rosie, I–"

"Alex, make sure he calls me, please," I said, looking at the younger Wolff brother.

"Sure I will, Rosalina," Alex said smiling.

"See? Is that so hard?" I asked, looking up at Nat. "You just have to agree with me."

"She's right," Alex spoke up again, walking over to the door to stand next to us. "You're supposed to agree with women. It's like a rule."

Nat tried to grab his brother, but Alex ducked out of the way. "Get out of here, Alex."

I laughed as Alex walked into the living room. "Maybe you should listen to your little brother."

"When pigs fly," He joked. "But I'll call you, I promise. So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure," I smiled and kissed him quickly.

He smiled. "I'll see you later Rosie. Alex, let's go."

Alex walked over to the door.

"Goodnight, Rosie."

"Night."

**~NBB~**

"Rosalina, wake up!"

I groaned. Nat was my alarm clock every morning now. Sometimes he was gentle and quiet, and other times he was loud and obnoxious.

"C'mon Rosie," He said, sitting on the bed.

I rolled onto my back and opened my eyes. "How are you?" I asked.

"Dad wasn't exactly happy that we didn't come home right away…" He said, looking away.

What was I supposed to say to that? Maybe you shouldn't come over anymore so your Dad doesn't hurt you, but you should go home so your dad can hurt you? "Nat, maybe you–"

"Rosalina, I honestly don't care. By the time we got home, he was tired and all he did was yell. It was actually kind of nice for a change."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm positive." He kissed my forehead as he stood up from the bed and walked towards the door. "Get ready for school, okay? And I hope you don't mind that I brought Alex with me this morning."

"That's fine, I'll be right down."

…

"Alex? Where's Nat?"

"I'm not sure…his phone rang and he disappeared."

"Did you see which way he went?"

"He went upstairs, I think."

I turned and ran right back upstairs and looked through all the rooms. The only door I found closed was the bathroom door. I leaned close to the door to try to hear if Nat was inside. "Nat?" I asked through the door. Instead of waiting for an answer, I opened the door.

Nat was pacing back and forth in the bathroom on the phone. "I know…I know…I'll–Dad I know. I'm not using a tone…okay, we will. Are you working tonight? Okay." He hung up the phone.

"Your dad?" I asked, even though it obviously was.

He nodded.

"What happened?"

He sighed. "My dad just…" He shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"It'll be okay though right?"

"I guess."

"We'll go to school and it'll get your mind off of things, right?"

"You mean go to school where all the teachers hate me?"

"Nat, c'mon. You'll get to see the guys, and you'll get to see me all day," I tried cheering him up.

"I'd much rather see you all day at home, not at school."

"Nat, we can't skip. We already did once this week, and you told me you wouldn't anymore, remember?"

"I never said that," He said, shaking his head again.

"No but you implied it," I said, giving him an innocent smile.

He rolled his eyes. "Rosalina, I swear–"

"And plus Alex is here, and we can't let him skip either. So please, could you just…bear school and all the teachers for just one more day?"

"Does that mean I don't have to go tomorrow?" He asked excitedly.

"I didn't say that," I said quickly.

"But you implied it."

* * *

**A/N-So...**

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**Review pleasee! **

**~NatalinaFanForever~**


	9. Keep Him Out of Trouble

**A/N-I DO NOT OWN THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND!**

**Hey guys! **

**Sorry this one's a little short. But that's okay I'm still working on it!(: **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Nat's POV

"And Mr. Wolff, can you tell us what you think? You've been awfully quiet for most of the lesson."

"Um," I glanced down at my notebook where I'd been writing throughout the entire class. "Can you repeat the question?"

"And why should I repeat the question?" my History teacher asked. "You've been taking notes this whole time haven't you?"

I remained silent. I hadn't been paying attention. I haven't exactly been thinking straight lately. Between Rosalina, Alex, and my dad, I didn't really have school as my main priority.

"Ah, so the great Nat Wolff can't sweet-talk his way out of this one can he?"

And then I remembered why I started writing to ignore this class in the first place. I _hated _my History teacher. He was the reason my temper was so short, he was the reason I was stressed half the time. (The other half was because of my dad.) I clenched my hand into fists and tried to keep calm. "If you could just repeat the question, I could answer."

"But I shouldn't have to repeat the question." He stepped closer to me. "You see Mr. Wolff, if you'd just start paying attention, perhaps you'd learn not only about the lesson but that you need to get your priorities straight."

What happened next doesn't exactly need to be explained, but it did result in the teacher shouting, "To Principal Schmoke's office now!" and then me having to persuade Principal Schmoke and all the office aids not to call my father. So then I sat in the office, squashed into one of the stupid, old-fashioned – and did I mention small desks. I'd taken to glaring at the wall, wishing I could move or talk or scream, _something! _ I was angry, and when I'm angry I have to get it out some way. I mean yeah, I took out some of my anger on my teacher, but that wasn't enough. And just when I thought I was practically about to explode, I heard the office door thud close, and a familiar voice began talking to one of the office aids:

"Mrs. Johnson, can I borrow Nat for a second?"

I looked up to see Rosalina, standing in front of one of the aids' desks.

"And why would you want to borrow a boy like Mr. Wolff?" Mrs. Johnson asked, glancing at me and looking back up at Rosalina.

"I need him to move something heavy, and all of the other boys went home already."

Had it been that long? Had I really been in here all day? Oh my God, Alex! Was he okay? He must be scared out of his mind. Who picked him up? Did anybody pick him up?

Mrs. Johnson sighed. "Alright fine, but don't bring him back."

"Whatever." Rosalina shrugged carelessly and turned to face me. "C'mon Wolff," Her voice sounded like it did when she could care less about me, but her eyes told me something else.

I slowly got up out of the desk, and trudged out of the office after her, even though I was more than happy to leave. Once we were out of the office, I didn't even get the chance to open my mouth when Rosalina spoke up again:

"What did you do?"

"I was in History and my teacher was _not _helping my temper and he–"

"Nat, I thought we've been through this."

"Rosalina, you weren't there! I hate that class, so I started writing and then the teacher wouldn't leave me alone! And he wouldn't repeat the stupid question–"

"Nat, it's okay, I understand. Just calm down, okay? You can explain later."

"What about Alex? Is he okay? Did someone pick him up? Please tell me my dad didn't–"

"Nat, relax, okay? Take a deep breath and calm down. I got the guys to go pick up Alex, and they walked him to my house. They're going to stay there until we get there, everything's fine," She said as we walked out of school.

"Thank you," I sighed, looking at her.

She took my hand. "Yeah, well I guess I kind of owed you from when you practically carried me everywhere, so…"

I smiled weakly at her. "You don't owe me anything."

"How's your back?" She asked suddenly.

"It's fine," I answered simply.

"Still sore?"

"A little," I shrugged. "Wait, how did you know I was in the office?"

"Qaasim told me he saw you walk here, and no one saw you walk out, so I walked in and there you were."

"Oh."

"Plus the guys told me when they walked out of school Alex was still waiting by the middle school doors so I knew something was up."

"Thank you. Seriously."

"Don't mention it."

The rest of the way we walked in silence, but when we got to Rosalina's house, we opened the door and were met with yelling:

"Stop, stop! Alex is supposed to be doing his homework! What are you guys doing?"

"We have to catch E.T!"

"David, why did you bring her?!"

"I got her, I got her! Wait…no I don't."

"Guys, quit making a mess!"

We walked further into the house and saw the guys running back and forth, chasing after E.T, who was David's little French bulldog. We stood and watched as Alex stood in the middle of the living room and called, "E.T! E.T! Come here!" E.T raced over to Alex and jumped on him, knocking him to the floor as she licked his face. "Hi E.T, I missed you too," He laughed.

"You got her!" Thomas said, as we all walked into the living room.

"Yeah, Alex you're a dog magnet," David said.

Rosalina laughed. "It looks like she really likes you, Alex."

"So Nat," Qaasim began. "Why'd you go to the principal's office?"

"Can we not talk about that?" I asked, looking at the guys.

"Why not? We want to know," Thomas said.

"Let's just say I snapped on my History teacher, okay?"

"What'd you do?" David asked.

I just shook my head. They don't need to know. "Thanks for picking up Alex guys."

Alex sat up from the floor as he gently moved E.T. "Yeah, thanks guys."

"Anytime Alex. You know we're here for you," Cooper said.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Nat," David said, leashing up E.T. and leading the way out.

"Bye Nat, bye Rosalina," Thomas and Qaasim said together.

"Bye guys. See you tomorrow. And Rosalina, keep him out of trouble," Cooper said.

Rosalina smiled. "I will Cooper."

The guys left and Alex walked into the dining room to do his homework. Rosalina turned to walk into the living room, but I took her wrist. "Wait a second."

"What is it?"

"Thanks again for…you know, saving my butt and taking care of Alex."

"Nat, I already told it's nothing."

"I know, but if I didn't have you then I probably would've had to wait until my dad picked up, and that wouldn't have ended well…"

"Hey, it's okay. It didn't happen. It won't happen. I won't let it."

* * *

**A/N-Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Leave a review!**

**~NatalinaFanForever~**


	10. Conflicted

**A/N-I DO NOT OWN THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND!**

**Hey guys!**

**So being the big writer/reader that I am, I have read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (if you haven't read this book you need to read it like ASAP) and have faithfully followed the updates of it becoming a movie. And even though I've known this for a while now, Nat is playing one of the main characters and they released the trailer for the movie today and it's sooo awesome you guys should DEFINITELY check it out! **

**Anyway... Sorry for the late-ish update. Writing just hasn't been coming easily to me anymore... but I'm working on a personal novel as of right now, (along with school and other extracurricular stuff) so I'm trying to balance my time out. **

**Enjoy! (: **

* * *

Rosalina's POV

"Shouldn't I be the one protecting you?" Nat asked.

"It's not like you're not, right? I mean you carried me practically everywhere when I sprained my ankle."

"True."

My phone vibrated in my pocket and I could already tell who it was without looking. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Nat asked worriedly.

"Nothing, it's just my dad."

"What's wrong with your dad?" He looked confused.

"It's just that he's never home, and I never see him. I haven't seen him at all this week. He doesn't even know about you, or the fact that I sprained my ankle. I'm surprised he knows what I look like anymore."

"You don't mean that," He said, taking my hand. "You should appreciate having a dad that loves you and takes care of you."

"Yeah, well sometimes I'm not so sure…"

"Rosalina," He said, causing me to look up at him. "Trust me. He loves you. He doesn't scream at you or hit you. I'm pretty sure he loves you."

"Nat, you know I didn't mean–"

"I know what you meant Rosie. It's okay."

I gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'll always care about you."

"Lucky me," He joked. "I'll always care about you too."

**~NBB~**

"Rosalina, are you home?"

I came down the stairs and walked into the kitchen. "Yeah, I'm here."

It was the next evening. Nat stopped by for a little while right after school, but didn't stay long. Since then I've been in my room doing homework and hadn't even heard my dad come in the house.

"Oh it's good to see you after so long," my dad said, as he put some more papers into his briefcase.

"Yeah…it's been a while," I said, leaning up against the door frame.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I can't talk long. I have to get to a business meeting in Michigan."

"Michigan? But you just got home!"

"I know, I know, but you know how my boss is."

"You're never home anymore," I mumbled.

"What was that, Rosalina?"

"You're never home anymore," I repeated, louder this time.

"Rosalina, you know I–"

"No Dad, you're not sorry because if you were sorry you'd start making time to come home. I literally never see you anymore. This is the first time I've seen you since…since I don't even know how long!"

"You know that if I could spend more time at home I would, but my boss put me in for more hours, and I can't turn them down and you know that."

"Why not? It's not like you don't work enough anyway! We have more than enough money and you've worked more than enough hours."

"If I turn down my boss I could lose my job and then we won't have any money."

"You can't ask your boss from one break?"

"No, I can't."

"Not even to spend time with me?" I realized how selfish I sounded, but it was true. I never saw Dad anymore. I was lucky to see him once in a month.

"Rosalina, I can't."

"Fine, I get it. Just throw yourself into your work so we'll never see each other. I get it. You'd much rather go to work and go on business trips than spend time with your own daughter."

"Rosalina, you know that's not true."

"Oh really?" I could feel tears in my eyes now and I didn't even really understand why. "Then fine, go off on your stupid business trip! See if I care! And I'll be more than happy when you're finally gone!" I shouted. I couldn't even control what I was saying anymore. Before Dad even could think about responding, I turned and ran out of the house and blindly down the street. I meant what I said. He never cared about me, only his work. I glanced back at the house to see if Dad had even tried following me, but I ended up running into someone in front of me. "I'm sorry. Excuse me."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, where're you going? What happened?" Someone held me by my arms.

I didn't even try to meet their eyes. I probably looked like a psychotic girl, seeing as I was basically on the verge of hysterics. I tried pulling free from them. "Please let me go."

"Rosie, it's me, relax."

I looked up and saw a blurry figure that I recognized as Nat. "I-I and my dad was…"

"Okay, okay, just calm down." He pulled me into a tight, yet comforting hug.

The smell of Nat's cologne calmed me down a bit. He rubbed my back. "God Rosalina you're shaking."

"I-I'm sorry, I'm just…"

"Are you okay to walk?"

"Yeah, I-I think so…"

"Then let's get you home–"

"No!" I shouted. "I-I won't. I can't. Not until I know…he's gone."

Instead of asking why, like I thought he would, Nat just nodded. "Okay, then you'll come with me."

"Wh-where's Alex?" I managed to stutter out as we walked slowly down the block.

Nat took my shoulders and steadied me, despite my shaking. "He's at school still. I was going to pick him up."

"Oh."

We walked in silence for a little while and Nat had a firm arm around me to keep me steady. "So do you want to explain to me what happened?" He asked, glancing at me.

"My dad…he just makes me mad, and he doesn't even care."

"What do you mean?"

"He came home today," I explained. "And it was only to say that he's going on a business trip to Michigan."

Nat didn't respond.

"And when I asked my dad to stay home, when I explained to him that I never see him anymore, he didn't care. He just kept saying he _had _to go because we need the money, but I mean we can't need the money _that _badly right? Where does all the money he's already making go?"

"I don't know," Nat sighed. "But I'm sorry he keeps leaving you. If I were him, I'd never leave you alone."

"Why?"

"Because boys would come at you too easily. Or some boy could just grab you and," He stopped, grabbed my waist and spun me around. "Sweep you off your feet and he'd never see you again."

I laughed as he set me back down. "I think it's too late for that now."

"Oh really? Who's swept you off your feet?"

I took his hand. "His name's Nat Wolff, ever heard of him?"

"Doesn't ring a bell," He said shaking his head.

I laughed as we walked up to the middle school. By now I had calmed down enough to walk on my own, but Nat and I walked into the middle school together anyway. "So where's Alex?" I asked, looking at Nat.

"He's in his classroom, follow me." He led the way to a classroom that I remember going to when I was younger, and we stopped in the open doorway. He knocked on the door. "Alex, you ready to go?"

"Yeah," came Alex's voice from inside the room.

"Thanks for letting him stay for a little while after school, Miss Wilson," Nat said.

"It's no problem," said a woman's voice who I assumed was Miss Wilson.

"Bye Miss Wilson," Alex said, walking out of the room. He looked up and noticed me there. "Hey Rosalina."

"Hey Alex." I smiled at him.

We walked back through the school hallway towards the front door. "Did you get your homework done?" Nat asked, looking at his brother.

"Yep, no homework for me!" He said happily. He walked ahead of us and I turned to Nat.

"Why does he stay after school?" I asked quietly.

Nat looked at me and lowered his voice, "I want to make sure it's safe for him to come home. Sometimes I don't know when my dad will be home and what he's like."

I looked worriedly at Nat.

"But don't tell him that, okay?"

I glanced at Alex. _He shouldn't have to worry about whether or not it's safe to go home. _But I remembered what I promised Nat and I looked back at him.

He was watching me worriedly, as if I would say no.

Honestly, I should say no. No one–not Alex and especially not Nat–deserved to worry about something like that.

"Okay, I promise."

* * *

**A/N-Review? I could really use some positive feedback right now. (: **

**~NatalinaFanForever~**


	11. Rosalina To The Rescue

**A/N-I DO NOT OWN THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND!**

**Hey guys!**

**I hope you guys like the chapter! (: **

* * *

Nat's POV

After dropping Rosalina off at home, and making sure she was okay, Alex and I walked back to our apartment.

"So you and Rosalina are like…dating, right?"

I tried to hide a grin. "Why? Who wants to know?"

"_I_ want to know!" Alex said. "Are you dating or not?"

"Yes, we're dating."

"Do you love her?"

I stared at the ground in front of me, trying to think about my answer. Did I love Rosalina? "Yeah…I think I do."

"I like her," He told me. "She's nice, and pretty."

"Too bad, she's mine," I joked, looking at him.

"No, no, good I'm glad. You need someone like that around. She's good for you, I think."

"Yeah, me too." We walked up to the apartment, and I went inside first. The first thing I heard was glass shattering but before I could quietly back out of the apartment, it was too late.

"Where have you two been?!" Dad noticed we were home. He drunkenly stumbled over to the front hallway. "Well?" He asked as I cautiously shut the door behind Alex and me. "_Where?_" He demanded.

"We were–we were at school," I stuttered.

"You only have to be there six hours a day, how much more can they want you? Why would anyone want you two to stick around?"

I could see Alex out of the corner of my eye about to say something when I spoke before him, "It was my fault."

Alex looked at me, trying to hide his shock.

"I-I got detention."

Dad pounded on the wall, causing Alex and me to jump. "You got detention?" He asked furiously. "I don't spend money to send you there so that you can get detention."

"I-I'm sorry, my teacher isn't as understanding–"

"I. Don't. Care!" He snapped, storming over to us. I pushed Alex out of the way just before Dad grabbed me by my t-shirt and shoved me across the room.

Usually I would fight back, but I was still recovering from my dad's last rage and I was weak.

He stormed over to me again and pushed me to the ground. "I–don't–waste–money–on–idiots," He said, punctuating each word with a kick in my side.

I groaned in pain, gripping my side.

"Oh man up," He said, looking down at me with disgust. He grabbed my arm, pulled me to my feet, and then positioned me so we were face to face. "Now did you learn your lesson, or do I have to get the belt?"

"I-I learned my lesson," I managed to get out.

"Good, that's it for now. Now get out of my face! I'll finish you later."

I walked as quickly as I could to my bedroom where I found Alex sitting in my closet, crying and clutching my cell phone. "Alex…" I kneeled down in front of him, regretting it immediately. "It's okay…"

"No, it's not," He cried, shaking his head.

Suddenly my stomach lurched, and I could feel something rising in my throat. I got up as quickly as I could and ran into the connecting bathroom. I could hear Alex crying loudly over my getting sick. I forced the contents of my stomach back down my throat for a few seconds so I could console my brother. "Alex," I said, practically limping over to him. "You have to be quiet. You know how Dad feels about crying."

Alex slapped his hand over his mouth, muffling his sobs but not stopping the stream of tears down his face.

"It'll be okay," I coughed, feeling my stomach rise again.

"I-I–" He hiccupped. "called," He hiccupped again. "Rosalina."

"You did what?" This time I couldn't even make it to the bathroom and ended up throwing up in the garbage can near my desk.

"She's going to come and–" He hiccupped. "help us."

"No!" I said. "She'll get hurt," I coughed.

"I told her where to come up the fire escape," Alex said, still crying. "Dad won't know she's here."

I shook my head, willing my stomach to calm down. "Alex, you shouldn't have done that."

"I had to," He said. "You're hurt."

A quiet knock came from the window nearby and we both looked up to see Rosalina standing outside. I stood up, trying to look normal, walked over to the window and opened it. I helped her climb inside but said quietly, "You shouldn't have come here."

"Alex called, and he was crying. He said you were hurt."

"I'm fine," I lied.

She looked at Alex, who still had returned his hand over his mouth and was still sobbing. "Then what happened?" She asked, kneeling down next to Alex, but looking at me.

"My dad was drunk and I guess it scared him," I moved to kneel next to her, but it wasn't a good thing. My stomach flipped again, and I could feel it rising in my throat again, but I refused to throw up. Rosalina couldn't know. She couldn't see me like this.

She pulled Alex into a hug and he accepted immediately, hugging her tightly but still trying to quiet his crying. "It's okay, Alex…It'll be okay," She told him soothingly.

I could feel a burning sensation rising in my throat, and then I couldn't take it. I ran to the bathroom and released hopefully the last of whatever was in my stomach.

Alex sobbed in the closet.

"Shhh Alex, it's okay," I heard Rosalina say, as I walked back into the room. "You're not fine," She said, as I basically collapsed onto the ground. She carefully pulled away from Alex and crawled over to where I was laying. "Where are you hurt?" She asked, looking down at me.

"I'm not–"

"Where?" She demanded, giving me a look. It was then that I realized she wasn't going to play around.

I glanced down at my side.

"Can I…?"

I nodded.

She carefully lifted up my t-shirt and winced.

"Is it bad?" I asked, refusing to look down.

She slowly put my t-shirt back down. "I really think we need to get help."

"No, Rosie, you know why I can't do that."

"Nat, I don't think–"

Suddenly Dad started pounding on the door. "Open up, it's time to finish your punishment!"

I practically jumped up and threw myself against the door to keep my dad out. I quickly locked the door but I knew if he got mad enough he'd break the door.

Alex started crying again, Rosalina said something to him, and then she quickly ran over to help me block the door.

"Nat, I should tell you–"

"Open this door now!" Dad shouted from the other side of the door.

"Rosalina now isn't a good time for this."

"But you should know–"

Another pounding interrupted my father's and what sounded like a million footsteps stormed into the apartment. My dad stopped.

Alex stopped sobbing long enough for us to hear:

"This is the N.Y.P.D. put your hands where I can see them!"

We both backed off the door and I looked at Rosalina, who gave me a look of guilt.

What sounded like a bunch of men stormed into the hallway grabbed Dad and took him away. Someone must've noticed the door because a man shouted, "Is anyone in there?"

Suddenly Alex scrambled out from the closet and unlocked the door. He threw it open to reveal a police officer with his gun drawn. Alex retreated behind me and Rosalina.

"Are you kids okay?" The officer asked, putting his gun away.

I was too angry to speak so I just nodded, and put a protective arm around Alex.

"C'mon, there's an ambulance outside. We're taking all three of you in."

I followed the officer out first, with Alex glued to my back, and Rosalina followed behind him. He led us out of the apartment–which by the way was a mess–and out to an ambulance where Alex, Rosalina and I got inside.

They were currently checking out Alex, who was completely terrified by now. They'd already checked out Rosalina, even though she told them they didn't need to. I was sitting on one side of the ambulance, and her on the other. She kept looking at me apologetically, but I refused to budge. I was glaring. I couldn't help it. She did what she_ promised_ not to do. She broke my trust.

"Nat," an E.M.T said, breaking my thoughts. "Your turn."

* * *

**A/N-So... **

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**~NatalinaFanForever~**


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